Guest Column: 15 minutes

Across the United States, high school students are currently faced with many tough decisions that could potentially affect their lives forever.

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By Colton Dickinson is a senior at Etna High School

Siskiyou Daily News, Yreka, CA

By Colton Dickinson is a senior at Etna High School

Posted Apr. 24, 2014 at 4:00 PM

By Colton Dickinson is a senior at Etna High School

Posted Apr. 24, 2014 at 4:00 PM

Across the United States, high school students are currently faced with many tough decisions that could potentially affect their lives forever. These decisions apply to a broad spectrum of choices that range from academic to social, and everywhere in between. Many people tend to think that it is the choices such as “what college to attend” or “what job to apply for” that will end up making the biggest differences in their lives, and to an extent, they are correct. On the other hand though, some of the simplest decisions have the largest ability to change our lives forever.

Unlike the planned and anticipated decision to choose what college to attend, the choice to have a few drinks at a party can be completely spontaneous. The choice to consume alcohol and then drive away in the car, has been the most detrimental decision that some people have ever made. Studies have shown that statistically in the United States, somebody is killed in a drinking and driving incident every 15 minutes. It is because of this tragic issue that I chose to help coordinate an Every 15 Minutes program at Etna High School as my senior project.

As part of the program, on Wednesday, April 23, a mock drinking and driving incident took place that resulted in the representation of the ended lives of two seniors at Etna High School, Lindsay Miller and Austin Winkelhausen; the injuries of Josh Staton, Elida Pelayo and Hayden Kaae; and the arrest of Victoria Gamache, after causing the incident. Etna High School students gathered on the practice football field to view the horrific staged scene of two cars smashed into each other with bloody bodies thrashed throughout, as a result of drinking and driving. The crash represented friends who had simply been hanging out and having a good time, but decided to make the mistake of drinking and driving and change their lives forever. Never again would they be able to enjoy the privileges of “having to choose which college to go to.”

The display highlighted the effects on the young students involved in the crash, but it is also important to realize that it is not only the victims of a drinking and driving incident that are affected, but also their friends, families and community members. One message of the program is that the choice to drink and drive is not worth the price that often has to be paid. Fortunately, the incident that took place was not real, and everybody who was involved was able to return home to their families and friends hopefully with a better understanding of what a gift life is and how fragile it can be. I honestly hope that this program has been influential and eye-opening to not only the high school students, but also everybody who was exposed to it.

Page 2 of 2 - The following students were players and actors who participated in the event: Dead in hospital: Austin Winkelhausen; Dead on arrival: Lindsay Miller; Drunk driver: Victoria Gamache; Injured: Josy Staton, Elida Pelayo and Hayden Kaae; and the Grim Reaper: JT Murray.